◎ Recommended Standard

Expectations

• 1. Because learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information, and recognizing that no single means of representation will be optimal for all learners, it is important to provide content in multiple modalities (i.e., multiple means of representation).

  2. Students often benefit from learning via gaming¹ and simulation², so if applicable, the course should incorporate these tools.

Examples

• Here are a few ways to provide content using multiple means of representation:

  • lectures slides and notes, with the options for students to adjust the size of text, font style, background color, etc.

  • videos with audio annotations, with the option for students to adjust the playback speed, and with captions (ideal alternative representation) or transcriptions (minimum alternative representation)

  • charts/graphics/pictures/diagrams are presented with text descriptions

  • represent mathematical and chemical formulae with MathML, which works better with text-to-speech tools

  • providing animations, games¹, simulations², etc., can make information more accessible—and more easily synthesized—than text alone

^1,2According to the 2014 ECAR Student and IT Survey, in 2011, only about 15% of student were interested in using simulation and gaming in courses. By 2012, this jumped to 55%, and since that time, has held steady at around 50%. This clearly demonstrates that students are interested in simulating and gaming, and the research demonstrates that using such tools has a pedagogical benefit to students.

References

• • IDEA methods 2,10

  • QOLT 3.5

  • ECAR Study of Students and Information Technology

  • CAST UDL Guidelines: Representation